1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to enzymes involved in the lysosomal targeting pathway and particularly to isolated and purified GlcNAc-phosphotransferase and phosphodiester xcex1-GlcNAcase, nucleic acids encoding the enzymes, processes for production of recombinant GlcNAc-phosphotransferase and phosphodiester xcex1-GlcNAcase, and the use of the enzymes for the preparation of highly phosphorylated lysosomal enzymes that are useful for the treatment of lysosomal storage diseases.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Lysosomes are organelles in eukaryotic cells that function in the degradation of macromolecules into component parts that can be reused in biosynthetic pathways or discharged by the cell as waste. Normally, these macromolecules are broken down by enzymes known as lysosomal enzymes or lysosomal hydrolases. However, when a lysosomal enzyme is not present in the lysosome or does not function properly, the enzymes specific macromolecular substrate accumulates in the lysosome as xe2x80x9cstorage materialxe2x80x9d causing a variety of diseases, collectively known as lysosomal storage diseases.
Lysosomal storage diseases can cause chronic illness and death in hundreds of individuals each year. There are approximately 50 known lysosomal storage diseases, e.g., Pompe Disease, Hurler Syndrome, Fabry Disease, Maroteaux-Lamy Syndrome (mucopolysaccharidosis VI), Morquio Syndrome (mucopolysaccharidosis IV), Hunter Syndrome (mucopolysaccharidosis II), Farber Disease, Acid Lipase Deficiency, Krabbe Disease, and Sly Syndrome (mucopolysaccharidosis VII). In each of these diseases, lysosomes are unable to degrade a specific compound or group of compounds because the enzyme that catalyzes a specific degradation reaction is missing from the lysosome, is present in low concentrations in the lysosome, or is present at sufficient concentrations in the lysosome but is not functioning properly.
Lysosomal storage diseases have been studied extensively and the enzymes (or lack thereof) responsible for particular diseases have been identified. Most of the diseases are caused by a deficiency of the appropriate enzyme in the lysosome, often due to mutations or deletions in the structural gene for the enzyme. For some lysosomal storage diseases, the enzyme deficiency is caused by the inability of the cell to target and transport the enzymes to the lysosome, e.g., I-cell disease and pseudo-Hurler polydystrophy.
Lysosomal Storage diseases have been studied extensively and the enzymes (or lack thereof) responsible for particular diseases have been identified (Scriver, Beaudet, Sly, and Vale, eds., The Metabolic Basis of Inherited Disease, 6th Edition, 1989, Lysosomal Enzymes, Part 11, Chapters 61-72, pp. 1565-1839). Within each disease, the severity and the age at which the disease presents may be a function of the amount of residual lysosomal enzyme that exists in the patient.
The lysosomal targeting pathways have been studied extensively and the process by which lysosomal enzymes are synthesized and transported to the lysosome has been well described. Kornfeld, S. (1986). xe2x80x9cTrafficking of lysosomal enzymes in normal and disease states.xe2x80x9d Journal of Clinical Investigation 77: 1-6 and Kornfeld, S. (1990). xe2x80x9cLysosomal enzyme targeting.xe2x80x9d Biochem. Soc. Trans. 18: 367-374. Generally, lysosomal enzymes are synthesized by membrane-bound polysomes in the rough endoplastic reticulum (xe2x80x9cRERxe2x80x9d) along with secretory glycoproteins. In the RER, lysosomal enzymes acquire N-linked oligosaccharides by the en-bloc transfer of a preformed oligosaccharide from dolichol phosphate containing 2 N-acetylglucosamine, 9-mannose and 3-glucose. Glycosylated lysosomal enzymes are then transported to the Golgi apparatus along with secretory proteins. In the cis-Golgi or intermediate compartment lysosomal enzymes are specifically and uniquely modified by the transfer of GlcNAc-phosphate to specific mannoses. In a second step, the GlcNAc is removed thereby exposing the mannose 6-phosphate (xe2x80x9cM6Pxe2x80x9d) targeting determinant. The lysosomal enzymes with the exposed M6P binds to M6P receptors in the trans-Golgi and is transported to the endosome and then to the lysosome. In the lysosome, the phosphates are rapidly removed by lysosomal phosphatases and the mannoses are removed by lysosomal mannosidases (Einstein, R. and Gabel, C. A. (1991). xe2x80x9cCell- and ligand-specific deposphorylation of acid hydrolases: evidence that the mannose 6-phosphate is controlled by compartmentalization.xe2x80x9d Journal of Cell Biology 112: 81-94).
The synthesis of lysosomal enzymes having exposed M6P is catalyzed by two different enzymes, both of which are essential if the synthesis is to occur. The first enzyme is UDP-N-acetylglucosamine: lysosomal enzyme N-Acetylglucosamine-1-phosphotransferase (xe2x80x9cGlcNAc-phosphotransferasexe2x80x9d) (E.C. 2.7.8.17). GlcNAc-phosphotransferase catalyzes the transfer of N-acetylglucosamine-1-phosphate from UDP-GlcNAc to the 6 position of xcex11,2-linked mannoses on the lysosonial enzyme. The recognition and addition of N-acetylgluocosamine-1-phosphate to lysosomal hydrolases by GlcNAc-phosphotransferase is the critical and determining step in lysosomal targeting. The second step is catalyzed by N-acetylglucosamine-1-phosphodiester xcex1-N-Acetylglucosaminidase (xe2x80x9cphosphodiester xcex1-GlcNAcasexe2x80x9d) (E.C. 3.1.4.45). Phosphodiester xcex1-GlcNAcase catalyzes the removal of N-Acetylglucosamine from the GlcNAc-phosphate modified lysosomal enzyme to generate a terminal M6P on the lysosomal enzyme. Preliminary studies of these enzymes have been conducted. Bao et al., in The Journal of Biological Chemistry, Vol. 271, Number 49, Issue of Dec. 6, 1996, pp. 31437-31445, relates to a method for the purification of bovine UDP-N-acetylglucosamine: Lysosomal enzyme N-Acetylglucosamine-1-phosphotransferase and proposes a hypothetical subunit structure for the protein. Bao et al., in The Journal of Biological Chemistry, Vol. 271, Number 49, Issue of Dec. 6, 1996, pp. 31446-31451, relates to the enzymatic characterization and identification of the catalytic subunit for bovine UDP-N-acetylglucosamine: Lysosomal enzyme N-Acetylglucosamine-1-phosphotransferase. Kornfeld et al., in The Journal of Biological Chemistry, Vol. 273, Number 36, Issue of Sep. 4, 1998, pp. 23203-23210, relates to the purification and multimeric structure of bovine N-Acetylglucosamine-1-phosphodiester xcex1-N-Acetylglucosaminidase. However, the proprietary monoclonal antibodies required to isolate these proteins have not been made available to others and the protein sequences for the enzymes used in these preliminary studies have not been disclosed.
Although the lysosomal targeting pathway is known and the naturally occurring enzymes involved in the pathway have been partially studied, the enzymes responsible for adding M6P in the lysosomal targeting pathway are difficult to isolate and purify and are poorly understood. A better understanding of the lysosomal targeting pathway enzymes and the molecular basis for their action is needed to assist with the development of effective techniques for the utilization of these enzymes in methods for the treatment of lysosomal storage diseases, particularly in the area of targeted enzyme replacement therapy.
Lysosomal storage diseases caused by the lack of enzymes can in theory be treated using enzyme replacement therapy, i.e., by administering isolated and purified enzymes to the patient to treat the disease. However, to be effective, the lysosomal enzyme administered must be internalized by the cell and transported to the lysosome. Naturally occurring enzymes and their recombinant equivalents, however, have been of limited value in enzyme replacement therapy because the purified or recombinant lysosomal enzymes do not contain adequate amounts of exposed M6P, or contain undesirable oligosaccharides which mediates their destruction. Without sufficient M6P, the administered lysosomal enzyme cannot efficiently bind to M6P receptors and be transported to the lysosome. For example, human acid xcex1-glucosidase purified from placenta contains oligomannose oligosaccharides which are not phosphorylated (Mutsaers, J. H. G. M., Van Halbeek, H., Vliegenthart, J. F. G., Tager, J. M., Reuser, A. J. J., Kroos, M., and Galjaard, H. (1987). xe2x80x9cDetermination of the structure of the carbohydrate chains of acid xcex1-glucosidase from human placenta.xe2x80x9d Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 911: 244-251), and this glycoform of the enzyme is not efficiently internalized by cells (Reuser, A. J., Kroos, M. A., Ponne, N. J., Wolterman, R. A., Loonen, M. C., Busch, H. F., Visser, W. J., and Bolhuis, P. A. (1984). xe2x80x9cUptake and stability of human and bovine acid alpha-glucosidase in cultured fibroblasts and skeletal muscle cells from glycogenosis type II patients.xe2x80x9d Experimental Cell Research 155: 178-189). As a result of the inability to purify or synthesize lysosomal enzymes with the desired oligosaccharide structures, these enzyme preparations are inefficiently targeted to affected cells and are of limited effectiveness in the treatment of these diseases. There exists, therefore, a need for enzymes that can be used in enzyme replacement therapy procedures, particularly highly phosphorylated enzymes that will be efficiently internalized by the cell and transported to the lysosome.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide biologically active GlcNAc-phosphotransferase and phosphodiester xcex1-GlcNAcase as isolated and purified polypeptides.
It is another object of the present invention to provide nucleic acid molecules encoding GlcNAc-phosphotransferase and phosphodiester xcex1-GlcNAcase.
It is another object of the present invention to provide expression vectors having DNA that encodes GlcNAc-phosphotransferase and phosphodiester xcex1-GlcNAcase.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide host cells that have been transfected with expression vectors having DNA that encodes GlcNAc-phosphotransferase or phosphodiester xcex1-GlcNAcase.
It is another object of the present invention to provide methods for producing recombinant GlcNAc-phosphotransferase and recombinant phosphodiester xcex1-GlcNAcase by culturing host cells that have been transfected or transformed with expression vectors having DNA that encodes GlcNAc-phosphotransferase or phosphodiester xcex1-GlcNAcase.
It is another object of the present invention to provide isolated and purified recombinant GlcNAc-phosphotransferase and recombinant phosphodiester xcex1-GlcNAcase.
It is another object of the present invention to provide methods for the preparation of highly phosphorlyated lysosomal enzymes that are useful for the treatment of lysosomal storage diseases.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide highly phosphorlyated lysosomal hydrolases that are useful for the treatment of lysosomal storage diseases.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide methods for the treatment of lysosomal storage diseases.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide monoclonal antibodies to capable of selectively binding to bovine GlcNAc-phosphotransferase and to bovine phosphodiester xcex1-GlcNAcase.
These and other objects are achieved by recovering isolated and purified biologically active GlcNAc-phosphotransferase and phosphodiester xcex1-GlcNAcase and using the enzymes to obtain nucleic acid molecules that encode for the enzymes. The nucleic acid molecules coding for either enzyme are incorporated into expression vectors that are used to transfect host cells that express the enzyme. The expressed enzyme is recovered and used to prepare highly phosphorylated lysosomal hydrolases useful for the treatment of lysosomal storage diseases. In particular, the enzymes are used to produce highly phosphorylated-lysosomal hydrolases that can be effectively used in enzyme replacement therapy procedures.
Lysosomal hydrolases having high mannose structures are treated with GlcNAc-phosphotransferase and phosphodiester xcex1-GlcNAcase resulting in the production of asparagine-linked oligosaccharides that are highly modified with mannose 6-phosphate (xe2x80x9cM6Pxe2x80x9d). The treated hydrolase binds to M6P receptors on the cell membrane and is transported into the cell and delivered to the lysosome where it can perform its normal or a desired function.
Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.